High performance computing simulator for the performance assessment of trajectory based operations

High performance computing (HPC), both at hardware and software level, has demonstrated significant improve- ments in processing large datasets in a timely manner. However, HPC in the field of air traffic management (ATM) can be much more than only a time reducing tool. It could also be used to build an ATM simulator in which distributed scenarios where decentralized elements (airspace users) interact through a centralized manager in order to generate a trajectory-optimized conflict-free scenario. In this work, we introduce an early prototype of an ATM simulator, focusing on air traffic flow management at strategic, pre-tactical and tactical levels, which allows the calculation of safety and efficiency indicators for optimized trajectories, both at individual and network level. The software architecture of the simulator, relying on a HPC cluster of computers, has been preliminary tested with a set of flights whose trajectory vertical profiles have been optimized according to two different concepts of operations: conventional cruise operations (i.e. flying at constant altitudes and according to the flight levels scheme rules) and continuous climb cruise operations (i.e., optimizing the trajectories with no vertical constraints). The novel ATM simulator has been tested to show preliminary benchmarking results between these two concepts of operations. The simulator here presented can contribute as a testbed to evaluate the potential benefits of future Trajectory Based Operations and to understand the complex relationships among the different ATM key performance areasPeer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Reflejos

Cortometraje en rotoscopia, técnica híbrido entre lo real y lo animado creando una sensación tintineante de movimiento. Consiste en dibujar fotograma a fotograma con el fin de transmitir la naturalidad y el dinamismo de los movimientos, luces, sombras etc de los diversos personajes, escenarios y objetos, dotando a la obra de cierto aire de cómic

Construcción del discurso en torno a la Educación Inclusiva

En este trabajo se realiza un análisis cualitativo sobre los discursos de 85 profesionales en torno a la conceptualización de la Educación Inclusiva. Para ello, se usa la técnica del text mining para contabilizar la frecuencia de los términos utilizados unido a la categorización axial de los discursos. Posteriormente se reconstruye esta información mediante un marco de análisis. Los tres ámbitos están basados en la toma de decisión curricular de un docente. Todo ello con la intencionalidad de llegar a acuerdos teóricos en torno a este fenómeno y poder establecer puentes de conexión entre los postulados étics ofrecidos por la literatura y los producidos por los sujetos en la práctica de carácter émic. Concluimos el texto, por tanto, con una serie de postulados en torno a los que giran estos discursos y que condicionan de forma notable la práctica diaria de las escuelasIn this paper a qualitative analysis is made on the speeches of 85 professionals around the conceptualization of Inclusive Education. To do this, the text mining technique is used to account for the frequency of the terms used together with the axial categorization of the speeches. This information is then reconstructed through a framework of analysis. The three areas are based on the curricular decision-­‐making of a teacher. All this with the intention of arriving at theoretical agreements around this phenomenon and being able to establish bridges of connection between the etics postulates offered by the literature and those produced by the subjects in the practice of emic character. We conclude the text, therefore, with a series of postulates around those that revolve these speeches and that condition of remarkable form the daily practice of the school

Prevalence, associated factors and reasons for sickness presenteeism : a cross-sectional nationally representative study of salaried workers in Spain, 2016

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of sickness presenteeism (SP), its associated factors and the reasons given for SP episodes, among the overall salaried population and excluding the 'healthy' workers. Population-based cross-sectional study. Salaried population in Spain. Data were obtained from the third Spanish Psychosocial Risks Survey (2016), carried out between October and December 2016, n=1615. Self-reported episodes of SP and their reasons. 23.0% (95% CI 19.2 to 26.8) of the workers exhibit SP, whereas among those manifesting having had some health problem in the preceding year, the figure was 53.0% (95% CI 46.9 to 59.1). The factors associated with SP when we study all workers are age, seniority, salary structure, working more than 48 hours, the contribution of worker's wage to the total household income and downsizing; factors among the 'unhealthy' workers are working more than 48 hours and not having a contract. The most common reason for SP is 'did not want to burden my colleagues', 45.7% (95% CI 37.3 to 54.4), whereas 'I could not afford it for economic reasons' ranked third, 35.9% (29.4% to 42.9%), and 27.5% (21.3% to 34.6%) of the workers report 'worried about being laid off' as a reason for going to work despite being ill. The estimated frequency of SP in Spain is lower than certain other countries, such as the Scandinavian countries. The factors associated vary depending on the population analysed (all workers or excluding 'healthy' workers). The reason 'I was worried about being laid off' was much more common than the estimates for Sweden or Norway

Calcium silicate ameliorates zinc defciency and toxicity symptoms in barley plants through improvements in nitrogen metabolism and photosynthesis

This work was supported by the PAI programme (Plan Andaluz de Investigacion, Grupo de Investigacion AGR282). V. P. Acknowledges Erasmus traineeship program by the University of Naples "Federico II". The results presented in this paper are based on the PhD Thesis by Paradisone ( 2018).Zinc (Zn) deficiency causes serious issues to plant growth and development, negatively affecting crops in many world regions. On the other hand, Zn toxicity impairs plant growth, producing physiological alterations, and even cell death. In plants, two of the processes that most determine growth are nitrogen (N) metabolism and photosynthesis. In the last decades, several authors proved that silicon (Si) and calcium (Ca) mitigate the effects of various abiotic and biotic stresses in plants. The objective of this research is to study the effect of Si application to barley (Hordeum vulgare cv. Nure) plants grown under Zn deficiency and Zn toxicity. Hence, barley plants were grown in hydroponics and supplied with a low Zn dose (0.01 mu M ZnSO4) and a high Zn dose (100 mu M ZnSO4) and were supplied with CaSiO3. Parameters related to Zn accumulation, N metabolism, and photosynthesis were measured. Zn stress affected leaf Zn concentration and reduced biomass in barley plants. Both Zn toxicity and deficiency inhibited N metabolism and enhanced photorespiration, increasing stress symptoms. CaSiO3 mitigated Zn stress effects, probably regulating Zn levels in plant cells and enhancing N metabolism and photosynthesis. We conclude that CaSiO3 could be beneficial to grow barley plants in soils with high or low availability of Zn.PAI programme (Plan Andaluz de Investigacion, Grupo de Investigacion) AGR28

A novel framework to assess the wake vortex hazards risk supported by aircraft in en-route operations

The work presented in this paper was partially funded by the SESAR Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 699247, as part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme: R-WAKE project (Wake Vortex Simulation and Analysis to Enhance En-route Separation Management in Europe - http://www.rwake-sesar2020.eu/). TThis paper presents the simulation environment developed within the framework of R-WAKE project, funded by SESAR 2020 Exploratory Research. This project aims to investigate the risks and hazards of potential wake vortex encounters in the en-route airspace, under current and futuristic operational scenarios, in order to support new separation standards aimed at increasing airspace capacity. The R-WAKE simulation environment integrates different components developed by different partners of the R-WAKE consortium, including simulators for weather, traffic, wake vortex phenomena, wake vortex interactions and different tools and methodologies for safety and risk assessment. A preliminary example is presented in this paper, in which 200 historical trajectories were simulated to show that the novel framework works properly. A WVE encounter has been detected in such first scenario, however with no significant safety effect on the follower aircraft. A second controlled scenario has been then run to force the detection of a severe wake encounter under realistic en-route conditions. Such scenario has given evidences that confirm the safety relevance of the underlying research concept.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Effect of CAX1a TILLING mutations on photosynthesis performance in salt-stressed Brassica rapa plants

Salinity is an important environmental factor that reduces plant productivity in many world regions. It affects negatively photosynthesis causing a growth reduction. Likewise, calcium (Ca2+) is crucial in plant stress response. Therefore, the modification of Ca2+ cation exchangers (CAX) transporters could be a potential strategy to increase plant tolerance to salinity. Using Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes (TILLING), researchers generated three mutants of Brassica rapa CAX1a transporter. The aim of this study was to test the effect of those mutations on salt tolerance focusing on the response to the photosynthesis process. Thus, BraA.cax1a and R-o-18 plants were grown under salinity conditions, and parameters related to biomass, photosynthesis performance, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH, EC 1.1.1.49), and soluble carbohydrates were measured. The results showed that BraA.cax1a-4 mutation provided higher biomass and a better photosynthetic performance manifested by a higher water use efficiency (WUE), higher Fv/Fm, electron fluxes, and a higher Rubisco (EC 4.1.1.39) accumulation. In addition, BraA.cax1a-4 presented increased osmotic protection through myo-inositol accumulation. On the other hand, BraA.cax1a-7 produced some negative effects on photosynthesis performance and lower G6PDH and Rubisco accumulations. Therefore, this study points out BraA.cax1a-4 as a useful mutation to improve photosynthetic performance in plants grown under saline conditions

Agronomic Assessment of a Controlled-Release Polymer-Coated Urea-Based Fertilizer in Maize

[EN] Increasing nutrient use efficiency of fertilizers is one of the major challenges to improve crop yields and minimize environmental impacts. This work compared the efficacy of a new ecological polymer-coated urea fertilizer and a slow release urea-based traditional fertilizer. Reductions in the N doses of the polymer-coated fertilizer were tested. A comparative study was first carried out by measuring the different physiological and yield parameters at the micro-scale level, and later-on field experiments were performed. Grain yield in the field was significantly higher (20%) when applying the new controlled-release fertilizer than when using the traditional one at the same dose. A 20% reduction in N content in the new fertilizer gave similar physiological and yield responses compared to the traditional fertilizer. We conclude that this new fertilizer can be used in extensive cropping of maize, guaranteeing at least the same yields than traditional fertilizers, with a reduction on the impact on soil properties and nitrogen losses.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, grant number RTC-2014-1457-5, with the project entitled "Los CRFs como alternativa a los fertilizantes tradicionales: buscando una mayor proteccion del medio ambiente" ("CRFs as an alternative to traditional fertilizers: seeking greater protection of the environment").Gil-Ortiz, R.; Naranjo, MÁ.; Ruiz-Navarro, A.; Caballero-Molada, M.; Atares, S.; Garcia, C.; Vicente, O. (2021). Agronomic Assessment of a Controlled-Release Polymer-Coated Urea-Based Fertilizer in Maize. Plants. 10(3):1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants1003059411510

Neofobia Gustativa, Inhibición Latente de la Aversión Gustativa y Memoria de Reconocimiento de Objetos en Ratas Adolescentes

This research was supported by project PID2020-v114269GB-I00 of the research project funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, Junta de Andalucía (B.SEJ.514.UGR20. Spain) and a predoctoral fellowship to A. Navarro-Expósito of the Ministerio de Educación y Deportes (BES-2015-072307).Background: Adolescence in mammals is a period marked by increased novelty-seeking and enhanced responsiveness to the stressful properties of novel stimuli. Despite the need to taste potentially toxic novel foods during the adolescent growth spurt, there has been little study of taste neophobia and its attenuation. Method: Four experiments were carried out to compare taste neophobia and related memory processes in male and female adolescent (PND28) and adult (PND70) Wistar rats. Experiments 1 and 2 evaluated attenuation of taste neophobia to cider vinegar (3%) and sodium saccharin (0.1%) solutions were evaluated. Additionally, to test the role of memory in neophobia during adolescence, latent inhibition of taste aversion and object recognition memory were assessed in Experiment 3 and Experiment 4, respectively. Results: Adolescent and adult rats exhibited taste neophobia to the saccharin solution but adolescent rats required more exposure trials than adults to recognize the vinegar solution as safe. Both groups exhibited similar latent inhibition of taste aversion and object recognition memory. No sex effect was significant. Conclusions: Contrary to the accepted view associating adolescence with reduced neophobia, adolescent rats exhibited taste neophobia which even increased when sour tastes were encountered.Antecedentes: La adolescencia está marcada por búsqueda de la novedad y acentuada sensibilidad a las propiedades estresantes de los estímulos novedosos. A pesar de la necesidad de probar nuevos alimentos potencialmente tóxicos durante el periodo de crecimiento adolescente, la neofobia gustativa y su atenuación durante este periodo apenas ha sido estudiada. Método: Se evaluaron la neofobia gustativa y los procesos de memoria relacionados en ratas Wistar macho y hembra adolescentes (PND28) y adultas (PND70). En los Experimentos 1 y 2 Se exploró la atenuación de la neofobia gustativa a soluciones de vinagre de sidra (3%) y sacarina sódica (0,1%), respectivamente. En los experimentos 3 y 4, se evaluó también la inhibición latente de aversiones gustativas y la memoria de reconocimiento de objetos. Resultados: Adolescentes y adultos mostraron neofobia gustativa a la sacarina, pero las ratas adolescentes requirieron más exposiciones a la solución de vinagre para reconocerla como segura. No hubo diferencias entre los grupos en los Experimentos 3 and 4. No se hallaron efectos significativos del sexo. Conclusiones: A pesar de la ampliamente aceptada asociación entre adolescencia y reducida neofobia, las ratas adolescentes muestran neofobia al sabor que resulta incluso incrementada cuando se trata de sabores ácidos.MCIN/AEI/10.13039/50110001103: PID2020-v114269GB-I00Junta de Andalucía (B.SEJ.514.UGR20. Spain)Ministerio de Educación y Deportes (BES-2015-072307

Enhanced Agronomic Efficiency Using a New Controlled-Released, Polymeric-Coated Nitrogen Fertilizer in Rice

[EN] Fertilizer-use efficiency is one of the most critical concerns in rice cultivation to reduce N losses, increase yields, and improve crop management. The e ects of a new polymeric-coated controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) were compared to those of other slow-release and traditional fertilizers in a microscale experiment, which was carried out in cuvettes under partly controlled ambient conditions, and a large-scale field experiment. To evaluate the fertilizer¿s efficiency, nitrogen and water-use efficiency were calculated using the measurement of different photosynthetic and crop yield parameters. Improved responses regarding some of the analyzed physiological and growth parameters were observed for those plants fertilized with the new CRF. In the microscale experiment, significantly increased yields (ca. 35%) were produced in the plants treated with CRF as compared to traditional fertilizer. These results were in accordance with ca. 24% significant increased levels of N in leaves of CRF-treated plants, besides increased P, Fe, Mn, and cytokinin contents. At the field scale, similar yields were obtained with the slow-release or traditional fertilizers and CRF at a 20% reduced N dose. The new controlled-release fertilizer is a urea-based fertilizer coated with lignosulfonates, which is cheaply produced from the waste of pulp and wood industries, containing humic acids as biostimulants. In conclusion, CRF is recommended to facilitate rice crop management and to reduce contamination, as it can be formulated with lower N doses and because it is ecological manufacturing.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, grant number RTC-2014-1457-5, with the project entitled "Los CRFs como alternativa a los fertilizantes tradicionales: buscando una mayor proteccion del medio ambiente" ("CRFs as alternative to traditional fertilizers: looking for a better protection of the environment").Gil-Ortiz, R.; Naranjo, MÁ.; Ruiz-Navarro, A.; Atares, S.; García, C.; Zotarelli, L.; San Bautista Primo, A.... (2020). Enhanced Agronomic Efficiency Using a New Controlled-Released, Polymeric-Coated Nitrogen Fertilizer in Rice. Plants. 9(9):1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9091183S1179